José Hilario López
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| José Hilario López Valdés | |
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9th President of the Republic of the New Granada
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| In office April 1, 1849 – April 1, 1853 |
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| Vice President | José de Obaldía |
| Preceded by | Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera |
| Succeeded by | José María Obando |
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| Born | February 18, 1798 Popayán, Cauca |
| Died | November 27, 1869 Campoalegre, Huila |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | María Dorotea Durán Borrero |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
José Hilario López (Born February 18, 1798 in Popayán, Cauca - Died November 27, 1869 in Campoalegre, Huila) was a Colombian politician and military officer. President of Colombia between 1849 and 1853.
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[edit] Early life
López joined the Army as a cadet at the age of 14 and saw combat in the Battle of Alto Palacé (December 30, 1813), the Battle of Calibío (January 1814), Battle of Tacines (May 9, 1814) and the Battle of Pasto (May 10, 1813. During the Battle of La Cuchilla del Tambo López was taken prisoner by the Spanish Army. He was first imprisoned, but later forced to serve as soldier in their Army and sent to Bogotá, where he established links with Independentist clandestine groups.
[edit] Wars of Independence from Spain
On June 28, 1819 López was given his absolut freedom back after his aunt Eusebia Caicedo intervened on his behalf. While in the town of La Mesa, López saw his former prisonmate Vicente Azuero within the prisoners of war, and interceded for his release. He got to meet Simon Bolivar who appointed him Major Assistant of the then newly created "Boyacá Battalion" and advanced him to the rank of Lieutenant and subsequently, Captain. Later on López participated in the "Northern Campaign" offensive on what is now Venezuelan territorry.
Once the campaign was over López returned to Bogotá, where General Francisco de Paula Santander appointed him to the Director of the Higher Command of the Cauca Department in February, 1823. This same year on April 6 was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
[edit] Santander supporter
After the September Conspiration in 1828 and while being Higer Command Chief and General Commander of the Azuay Department, López rebelled against Simon Bolivar and joined the forced of Colonel José María Obando. Shortly after, the Gran Colombia-Peru War broke out and Bolivar headed south to confront the Peruvians and join forces with marshal Antonio José de Sucre who was awaiting for him. By the end of january, 1829 Bolivar came to an agreement with the rebelled commanders and pardoned them after the Pact of Juanambú signed on March 2, 1829. Bolivar also explained his decision to ignore the Constitution of Cúcuta after Páez' actions in Venezuela.
Under the military government of Rafael urdaneta on September, 1830, López and Obando rebelled once again and became a campaign to distabilize the government. Their forces took over most of the south and control over the town of Popayán. López advanced to Tocaima where he confronted Rafael Urdaneta, but both reached a cease fire that followed the Apulo Agreement, signed on April 28, 1831. The following year, during the government of Francisco de Paula Santander, López was appointed Military Chief of Bogotá and two years later, in 1834 was appointed Governor of Cartagena. After these posts López also assumed other offices such as the Secretary of War and Navy, ambassador of Colombia in the Vatican, Secretary of Foreign Relations, State advicer and senator.
[edit] President of Colombia
On March 7, 1849 was elected President of Colombia with the support of the artisans and their democratic society clubs and also took advantages of the divisions among the conservatives. His government abolished slavery, created the agrarian law, supported the separation between church and state, freedom of the press and the federalization of the state.
Resistance against the abolition of slavery provoqued an uprising in the Cauca region by conservatives leaded by Julio Arboleda, but was soon crashed by the government forces of López. In Cali confrontations between landowners and the commoners became harshly violent. The defeat suffered by the land owners sparked upraising of former slaves and peasants who sabotaged and vandalized farms, and to the point of taking physical vengeance over their former masters by whipping them with the same whip used on them. These events were widely criticized by the press to what López responded that were a legitimate democratic process.
López administration also authorized the dissolution of the Resguardos for Amerindians and prohibited any businesses regarding this practice, amid going against their main supporter's will, the Democratic Societies, and allowing the elites from benefiting from the newly liberated labor that searched for work in their tobacco plantations. These also meant that the produce done by the no longer cheap labor skyrocketed inflation.
[edit] Civil wars
A year after finishing his term as president of Colombia, in 1854 López joined the conservative and liberal armies against the Artisans Revolution and deposed General José María Melo from the presidency to implement importation freedoms. In the civil war of 1859 enrolled in the Radical Liberals' lines who defended the federation and autonomy of the states. López was elected as President of Tolima and assumed office in the city of Neiva in July, 1863. In 1865 was postulated as candidate to lead the Colombian Union, but was defeated by Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera. In 1867, President Mosquera shut down the National Congress and because of this was deposed in repraisal. López was then named Army Chief by the new interim government of Santos Acosta. After these he retired from politics and returned to his farms until the day of his death.
